Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/85089
Light- and medium-duty focus: MOBILE SERVICE Advanced Main- tenance uses 60 smaller trucks – such as ¾-ton or 1-ton vans with a variety of nameplates – since most of the company's mobile maintenance work is conducted within a 60-mile radius of a home shop. not a job they can't do," says Mike Bes- son, vice president of service. Managed Mobile uses two configura- Today's mobile service trucks, and the programs they support, are more sophisticated than ever BY JOHN G. SMITH Rolling repairs A s long as trucks continue to break down on highway shoulders, mobile service equipment will play a vital role in roadside repairs. "We're like the ambulance company," says Chris Holman, chief executive officer of Advanced Maintenance, which provides mobile maintenance services in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. While some companies focus on roadside breakdowns alone, others deliver entire suites of services that once were confined to shop bays. Scheduled preventive maintenance programs, safety inspections and fluid changes all are perfect fits for a mobile maintenance program, says Claris Ramos-Sukkar, CEO of Texas-based On-site Fleet Services. Some services reach even deeper into the vehicles. "Our guys will do everything up to and including clutches and transmissions," says Paul Rygalski, president and CEO of Managed Mobile Inc. in Orange, Calif. Anything that falls outside the range of roadside offerings – whether it involves an engine rebuild, auto glass or tires – is still coordinated by the business. Regardless of the approaches, the right combination of services can offer a perfect fit for fleets that want to reduce downtime, stop shuttling equipment to local garages or find better ways to schedule maintenance during off hours. The most effective programs adopt sophisticated business models and the equip- ment to support them. Tools of the trade Rush Enterprises, which has commercial dealerships in 11 states, serves customers with a fleet of 150 service vehicles ranging from Class 6 Hino 268s to Peterbilt 337s, and the trucks are out- fitted with everything from cranes to welders. "Basically, there's 38 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MARCH 2012 tions of Sprinter vans. Those used by its preventive maintenance inspection teams are equipped with hose reels and reservoirs of oil, coolant, transmission fluid and hub lubricants, all delivered through digital meters. Its repair teams are equipped with vans without several of the space-hogging bulk reservoirs, but come with everything from jack stands to frame stands and the larger toolboxes needed to complete more complex jobs. Advanced Maintenance uses 60 smaller trucks – such as ¾-ton or 1-ton vans with a variety of nameplates – since most of the company's mobile mainte- nance work is conducted within a 60- mile radius of a home shop, which offers quick access to extra parts and tools that might be needed. As important as the size of the trucks may be, the tools inside will play a large role in the ability to perform specific repairs. Air compressors are common tools, and some trucks come with parts washers or liftgates that double as work- ing platforms. But a close look at other equipment on these trucks quickly identifies just how extensive their maintenance capa- bilities can be. A service that conducts heavy repairs literally needs to support the heavy equipment. Advanced Maintenance trucks are equipped with 20- ton pneumatic jacks, eight-to-12-ton bottle jacks and three-ton Texas-based On-site Fleet Services last year completed 12,000 preventive maintenance inspections.